Students' Perceptions about a Flipped Online Chinese Language Course

The flipped-classroom model provides students with "a dynamic and interactive learning environment where the educator guides students as they apply concepts and engage creatively in the subject matter" (Flipped Learning Network, 2014). Flipped instruction can be especially beneficial for second-language teaching, since classroom time can be applied to more interactive tasks. However, little research can be found focusing on flipped-classroom instruction in online environments. This paper fills the gap by presenting students' perceptions about a flipped classroom model adopted in an online Chinese language course offered by an institution associated with an American university. Specifically, the flipped course format is "2+1+2", referring to two preview assignments, one 50-minute online synchronous session, and two review assignments. Survey results from a total of 31 students enrolled in Chinese Level 1 (beginning level) indicate that students had positive perceptions towards the use of the flipped classroom format in online language class.